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" First a
great show then a killer roleplaying game…how the hell did a craptastic movie
starring Pee-Wee Herman ever turn into this? "

&nbsp Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Core Rulebook
by Eden Studios

&nbsp Format: TV Based RPG

&nbsp Reviewing Monkey: Our Ape Masters

&nbsp The Hype: Based on the immensely successful
fan favorite, Buffy the Roleplaying Game brings all the joy of the Sunnydale
crew home in hardcover form. Take the role of the slayer, the Scooby gang, Initiative
Members, or random creepy crawlies to wage war against the Hellmouth.

&nbsp What This Monkey Thought...

&nbsp Story and Drama: Sadly, the Buffy RPG
does very little to elaborate on the world and background of the Buffy universe
and confines itself primarily to re-hashing the first five seasons worth of
stories and plot. I'm sure they figured with that much tv under their belt they
had little need to...and while I can understand that in theory, in practice
it makes it very difficult to bring those unfamiliar with the world into the
fold and inevitably leads to "see if you can catch some of the re-runs" for
new player orientation. That being said, what it does do a fantastic job of
is bring the series to you and is, from start to finish, a seamless integration
with the Buffy phenomenon. From quipish, Buffy-like writing to incessant tie-ins
and dialogue quotes, the Buffy RPG pulls out all the stops to help bring the
Buffy mood home. It is, hands down, the most effective media to rpg transition
I've ever seen and will help anyone who loves the series get into the grove
incredibly quickly. 4 out of 5

&nbsp Layout and Presentation: Buffy's layout
is smooth and logical and places everything in a very easy to navigate order,
that means flipping back and forth between the acceptable table of contents
and the superb index should be fairly unnecessary…which is, of course, good
news. As for illustrations, most are screen-shots taken straight from the show
which is, of course, also good news. What's unfortunate is that 90% of the original
art in the book sucks and, thus, subtracts from the drama a bit…but overall
you'll be happy with what you see. 4 out of 5

&nbsp Playability: Based on Eden's Unisystem,
Buffy's game mechanics are fairly straightforward and utilize a simple stat
plus skill plus D10 resolution. Rather than using arbitrary target numbers,
however, Buffy opts instead for a static success chart with more difficult actions
requiring more success to succeed. In play it's smooth and easy to use, thus
making it ideal for players new to roleplaying, but has a high inherent success
rate which can leave the Director (GM) scrambling to create greater success
requiring activities to keep players engaged. Weapons and skill options are
also severely limited which can detract from more detail oriented players. Still,
that easy flow mentality goes along nicely with a game based on social more
than physical interaction and again blends well into the Buffy mythos. 4 out
of 5

&nbsp Desired Content: Though I would have liked
to have seen more reference info on the Buffyverse and world around the Hellmouth,
I remain pleasantly enthralled with the content this core book provides. Not
only does it give a significant amount of rules, character, and show information,
but it also has numerous aides to help make your game feel more like a Buffy
tv episode. From game terminology designed around a media mentality (Director
for game master, Cast for players, Episodes for adventures, and so on) to a
guide on "Buffyspeak", this core provides everything you need to get your crew
swinging their own "Mr. Pointies".
Finally, as a Buffy fan,
one of the biggest things I was waiting to see is how they would address the
whole "one Slayer" issue and in the characterizations they would present. Happily,
their answer to these issues is a simple "don't worry about the show, do whatever
you want" and, thus, they draw upon the whole myriad of Buffy possibilities
to present a game that has more character options and possibilities than most
other games you'll find on the market. 4.5 out of 5

&nbsp The Verdict:

All in all, Buffy shocked the lot
of us by showing up not only as a good roleplaying game, but also as the
most successful media to rpg tie in we'd ever seen. Fun, appropriately
tempered, and full of trademarked Buffyisms, the Buffy Roleplaying Game
is not only a must for Buffy fans but also a great choice for groups looking
to expand into a lighthearted social/action rpg.

&nbsp The Good: Great Buffy feel rounds out
a good game overall.

&nbsp The Bad: Almost no world information,
but set in one of the most successful fan shows of all time…so you can probably
wing it.

&nbsp The Overall Ugly: First a great show then
a killer roleplaying game…how the hell did a craptastic movie starring Pee-Wee
Herman ever turn into this?